The Young and the Restless Best of the Week, August 4 to 8: Victor, Nikki, Phyllis, Billy, Audra, and More

Welcome to the best of the week for The Young and the Restless, where we highlight some of the week's standout moments, scenes, notables, quotables, fashion, and more!

THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS BEST OF THE WEEK

Forget about Victor (Eric Braeden), Jack (Peter Bergman), Devon (Bryton James), Cane (Billy Flynn), and all the other power players in Genoa City! The big name that emerged on the power front this week was Claire (Hayley Erin)! She did not back down either with Victor or Audra (Zuleyka Silver) when it came to her future with Kyle (Michael Mealor).

First, Claire stood up to Victor after he deftly dissed Kyle after Cole's (J. Eddie Peck) memorial. Then, Claire ripped into Audra at Society for her attempts to break up her and Kyle in France.

We've seen a side to Claire where she could be quite ruthless back when she was under the control of her aunt Jordan (Colleen Zenk). Hayley Erin (Claire) did an amazing job, and the Kyle and Claire detractors are in for a fight.

Kyle gets boyfriend of the year honors for stepping back and trying to get Claire to see the big picture. He pointed out she won't always feel this way about her grandfather. He's right.

Audra may be down now that Victor has taken back his financing for Vibrante, but she's never out. It takes a savvy individual to lie to Victor's face that his plan was doing quite well when it wasn't. Audra blasted Jack over him and all the other rich families of Genoa City being born with advantages that she's never had.

Audra may not be rich, but she's always stylish. When it comes to being in a fight, Audra just may be the toughest player in town.

THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS MOMENTS

Kyle didn't give Audra an inch when it came to her see-through ploy about a phone charger. He told her she could keep it as he had plenty of them. Plus, he didn't even remember leaving one in there.

Victor's not wasting any time in making sure Cane fails in his master plan. He approached Lily (Christel Khalil) about using her relationship with Cane to find out what he's up to. Victor knows how to hone in on an opponent's weakness. While his plan with Lily is solid, though, she'd do well to avoid her ex since he pushes all her buttons.

Claire's week had some joy in it. Victoria (Amelia Heinle) gave her blessing to Claire and Kyle on moving in together. Vicki made it clear that Cole would have felt the same way. That must have brought Claire some peace.

THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS SCENES

Billy's (Jason Thompson) tense phone call with his mother, Jill, was painful to watch. The two have a long way to go if they want to repair their relationship. Jess Walton (Jill) doesn't grace our screens as nearly as often as we'd like. Read about her wonderful performances here.

We may not like to see our friends fighting in real life, but on soap operas? Yep. We love seeing it! Victor and Nikki (Melody Thomas Scott) truly went at it over Kyle and Claire. Nikki reminded her husband that life was short and he shouldn't want to spend it trying to control people. Victor and Nikki have spent as much time apart as they have together. Could these two be headed for another rift?

Billy and Jack were at odds in France, but it was refreshing to see the Abbott brothers stick together during their conversation at Society. Instead of betraying his family, Billy let his brother know where Cane stands and what he's planning. Cane will need more than Phyllis's computer hacking skills to win if his enemies are going to stick together!

NOTABLES

Phyllis (Michelle Stafford) and Billy brought gifts to impress Cane. However, he might want to consider just hiring one over the other. The former lovers are constantly challenging each other right in front of the man they're trying to impress. How is Cane ever going to get any work done if his lieutenants are always squabbling?

THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS QUOTABLES

Cane and Phyllis discuss their business future

Cane (to Phyllis): "I'm definitely drawn to your assets...skill set."

Phyllis (to Billy): "I don't do business jargon. 'Let's circle back.' 'Put it on the back burner.'...I like real talk. Let's do real talk."

Billy shares with Jack the news about Cane's plan to try to get control of Chancellor, Newman, and other companies in Genoa City.

Billy (to Jack): "He wants to wrap everything up under one umbrella."

Jack (to Billy): "That's a mighty big umbrella. But if he succeeds, of course, he's going to rain money."

Billy: "I don't think this has anything to do with money."

Jack: "Oh, come on. This man owns a train!"

Nikki walks out on Victor after arguing over Claire and Kyle

Nikki: "You are impossible, you know that?"

Victor: "And if I weren't, you'd be bored."

Nikki: "Being bored sounds heavenly right now."

Phyllis leaves Cane and Billy alone

Billy: "You know, a loose cannon? That's an understatement with her."

Cane: "Some would say the same words apply to you, Billy."

Victor dumps Audra

Victor: "I admire your ability to spin in and out of any situation. It's of no use to me now...our agreement has ended...you've tried and you failed. You failed me. You and I had a deal. You didn't come through. I'm pulling the plug of any support for your cockamamie company, Vibrante."

Jill tells Billy she's not in the mood for his antics

Jill: "Please don't tell me you called me after all this time just to be a fight with me."

Audra overhears Nikki tell Jack she'd like to have Audra chased out of town

Audra: "I'm perfectly happy here, Nikki. And I'm not going to be chased out of town. Not now -- or ever."

After Nikki leaves, Audra tells off Jack

Audra: "Kyle is just this lost little lamb with no free will. But by all means, Jack, defend and protect your adult son from the very scary woman. Actually, why don't you give him another title at Jabot or another division? You should build him a house. Hand him another trust fund. Protect him at all costs. Because I'm the villain here. How terrifying for you all."

Audra: "So what is it you really hate, Jack? My actions? Or is it that when you look at me, you see who you'd be if you also came from nothing!"

FASHION

Audra went from a sporty jogging outfit to a dramatic white textured off-the-shoulder dress for a business meeting with Victor Newman.

Phyllis wore a taupe draped maxi dress for her meeting with Cane.

THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS MUSINGS

If Lily truly wants Cane out of her life, she's going to have to listen to Devon and not Victor. We've seen on soaps way too many times someone declaring their freedom and independence from an ex-lover or spouse. And then, they're always interacting with said ex! Stop! Lily, don't do it!

This way, when you truly do run into Cane unexpectedly, the meeting will have a powerful impact.

Audra didn't just walk through the front door of the Newman Ranch. Victor okayed her entrance first by talking to a guard on the phone. Smart. After all the bad guys who've traipsed onto the ranch over the years, it's good to see that there's some security.

There were references to Johnny and Katie wanting to be there for Victoria because of Cole, and Phyllis let Cane and Billy know that Summer was broken up about Chance. We get that we can't see everyone's reaction on-screen, so the absences of Johnny, Katie, and Summer are understandable, but Nina's presence was something we hoped we'd get. We'll die on the "Nina should be there" hill.

Billy doesn't seem to be very remorseful or sad that his nephew, Chance, has died a horrible death. Maybe Jill is right to feel sorry for him.

It was great to see Jill back on our screens and have her share how sad she was over her grandson Chance's death. But where was Nina, Chance's mother, his father, Phillip, or his brother, Ronan? Other soaps bring back past cast members for funerals, weddings, and other family occasions. The loss of Cane and Cole was significant. They deserved proper sendoffs.

We certainly hear a lot about business on Y&R. But we rarely see people conducting business, doing the work that keeps all these companies up and running. It'd be nice to see business tycoons do a little work to add authenticity to the business/power storylines.

Billy and Victor traded barbs at Society was a reminder that these two men will never get along. Billy chastised Victor for not being with Victoria and supporting her over Cole. In turn, Victor blasted Billy for not being with Jill, who had just lost her grandson.

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